1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a safety tile, consisting of a tile body of rigid material, such as concrete, and a cover plate provided with an enclosing edge and being of an elastically flexible material, such as rubber. The cover plate has ribs integrally formed therewith uniformly distributed at its bottom side directed towards the tile body. The ribs are spacing members, of which the bottom ends hanging down rest on the upper surface of the tile body. Also integrally formed therewith are locking parts, which are longer than the spacing members, and have their ends protruding beyond the spacing members locked in the tile body, and also locked to a cover plate to be used therewith.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
One example of a safety tile is known from a Dutch Patent Specification 181,881. This concerns a safety tile, consisting of a concrete tile, covered by a cover plate of rubber, in which spacing ribs have been made at mutually equal distances and parallel to the edges of the tile on a regular square pattern. A locking body is made in the cover plate and formed integrally therewith, and is situated near each corner of the square tile. These locking bodies consist of a thickened bottom part of the same height as the spacing ribs with a mushroom-shaped locking body protruding beyond it. In mounting these tiles, one uses prefabricated concrete tiles, which have a cavity near their four corner for receiving the mushroom-shaped locking means. These cavities are filled with cement or another suitable type of kit. The cover plate is then positioned onto the tile body with the locking means in the cement, which is still wet, and the ribs lying against the top side of the tile body. After drying and setting of the cement, the concrete tile and the cover plate form an inseparable unity, which represents an efficient safety tile.
Thanks to the regular pattern of the spacing ribs, a good distribution of pressure across the cover plate occurs with loading, while the air cavities enclosed between the ribs guarantee a good resiliency.
Of great importance with a safety tile, is the absorption of pressure on impact load, as can occur when, for example, a playing child suddenly falls, for example, from a climbing frame, and hits its head or another part of the body on such a safety tile. With such an impact load it is important that the locally applied pressure is distributed as much as possible across the entire tile surface. If such an impact load occurs in the middle of the tile, the ribs will be able to provide a sufficient diversion of pressure. However, this is different, if the impact load occurs at one of the corners of such a tile, where the locking part is situated. The impact pressure on such a locking part is primarily absorbed locally. The consequence is that no sufficient diversion of pressure can occur. In the exemplary situation that a child hits its head or another part of the body precisely in that place, it could get seriously injured.